Astrid's Photo Scavenger Hunt for the week ending - 26/11/2021

 The word this week selected by Astrid really had me thinking.......Traditions.  My first thought that is something seen more in US than here but then when I thought seriously about it I realised that we all have traditions, some bigger than others but still something that means something to our family.   To quote the dictionary the definitions is The passing down of elements of a culture from generation to generation.  Then I realised that one tradition we have first started by my parents, then carried on through us to our young family who are now grown up and have grown up children of their own is 'The Table Present at Christmas'.

My mother first saw it in a Homes and Gardens type magazine in 1960 and thought it a good idea.  Originally it was a snowball tied with a red ribbon with a little present inside at each persons' place at Christmas Dinner.   We patiently put papier mache  over slightly inflated round balloons, removed the balloon, cut the paper balls in half and covered them with cotton wool.  I remember my first snowball contained a lipstick, very much appreciated.   Over the years I have made my own 'snowballs' and put them away with the Christmas decorations to use again until they looked rather sad and replaced them a couple of times over the years since then.  I eventually chucked them out and we now just wrap a small present in pretty paper and put it on the table. (Not easy to find something small enough to fit into a snowball.)   I might add that all the time we were using 'snowballs' we were living in Central and Southern Africa where the heat was so great at Christmas but we still had the traditional roast turkey and ham, Christmas pudding and trifle. 

I've searched through my archives and managed to find a few photographs showing the Table Presents ready for opening.

Here a couple wrapped in silver paper are showing. 

I've just realised that only a couple of presents show.  Kate and I shared supplying the presents between us.  I have put mine out but taken the photographs before she arrived. 

One year we held the dinner at our son and daughter-in-law's flat, a few yards from ours.

All of these pictures were taken on Christmas Eve.  Over the past 20 years this has become a new tradition for our family.  Everyone meets at our home for the traditional Christmas Dinner (no longer so much turkey and ham as three of the  eight of us have become vegetarians so other dishes have become traditional fare too).

Then later that evening, when everyone has gone home B and I go to our local church for the midnight service.  

On Christmas Day itself we take plates of ifits *** to Kate's home where she has gorgeous home made soup, jacket potatoes and a fantastic selection of party food which we have after a family gift exchange.  The little children used to play with their toys but now they are there with their girl friends, all grown up and we often collapse after two days of overeating to watch a film on TV..  

*** leftovers are called 'Ifits' in our family, a name coined by a catering friend of mine who used to say of the left overs from a catering job, if its edible we eat it. 

The final tradition that is a sure sign that Christmas is nearly here is the annual get together to make wreaths at Kate's house.  It was originally a large get together in the village hall but now has been whittled down to a select few who arrive with a large selection of greenery and contributions to the Jacob's Join lunch.  (No idea why it's called that but its the Northern equivalent of a 'bring and share' meal.)  So we gather around a large workbench set up in Kate's dining room and are surrounded with greenery, ribbons, florest wire and all the bits that make up a successful wreath. We nibble mince pies, home made shortbread and drink gallons of tea and coffee with a break for lunch.  It is always a lovely tradition sadly missed last year because of the ban on meeting in other peoples homes. 

Now off to see how others have described their family traditions.